A police watchdog says an investigation into a South Yorkshire Police blunder which saw a fatal victim of a car crash and a survivor mixed up is still ongoing.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) added that investigators were continuing to review evidence.

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An investigation into the police blunder is still ongoing

placeholder image — An investigation into the police blunder is still ongoing

Enquiries relate to a tragic collision on December 13 last year on Todwick Road in Rotherham during which a girl aged 17 and 18-year-old man Joshua Johnson died.

Trevor Wynn, also 17, was taken to hospital in a critical condition where he was kept sedated.

However at the time, police wrongly told Trevor’s family that the young boy had died, while Joshua’s loved ones gathered around the bedside of the person they were mistakenly told was their relative.

In December, after SYP had referred itself to the IOPC, the watchdog’s director Emily Barry offered her “sincere condolences” to the boys’ families, adding: “It is clear something has gone very wrong with awful consequences for them.”

Speaking about the investigation that would follow, she said: “We will carefully examine the circumstances regarding the identification of individuals following the collision, including what policies and procedures were in place and whether they were followed appropriately, to determine the facts and identify any learning arising from this tragic situation.”

Giving an update on the investigation this week , an IOPC spokesperson said: “Our independent investigation into the circumstances around the misidentification of two young people involved in a fatal collision in Rotherham is ongoing.

“IOPC investigators are continuing to review evidence relevant to our investigation and we have met with the families to update them on progress that has been made.”